Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a guard device configured to cover and protect a gaff or other elongated, sharpened spike, particularly for use on climbing spurs utilized to ascend and descend wooden poles and/or trees.
Description of Related Art
For many years, arborists (or tree workers) and those in the telephone and electrical utility industries have utilized climbing spurs (also known as “gaffs”, “hooks”, or “climbers”) strapped to their lower legs as an aid to ascending and descending trees, wooden utility poles, etc. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an example of a known climbing spur configuration is illustrated. Spur 100 comprises a leg iron 102 having an inner shank surface 104 and an outer shank surface 106. An upper portion of spur 100 comprises a pad-and-strap arrangement 108, with the pad-and-strap arrangement 108 configured to secure the spur 100 around the user's lower leg at a location below the user's knee. On a lower portion of spur 100 is a stirrup 110, which is bent and proportioned so as to allow a user's foot to fit thereon, preferably at the midsole of the foot. A joining portion 111 of stirrup 110 may be configured to allow stirrup 110 to be affixed to leg iron 102 via, for example, rivets, bolts, welding, etc. Alternatively, stirrup 110 could be co-formed with leg iron 102, or stirrup 110 could be formed of a continuous piece of bent metal. On an outer end of stirrup 110 is a ring loop 112, which allows a split ring joining a boot strap (not shown) to pass therethrough such that the user's boot may be secured to stirrup 110.
Referring still to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, spur 100 further comprises a gaff 114 mounted on an outer shank surface 106, opposite stirrup 110. As shown in FIG. 2, gaff 114 comprises an upper portion 115 and a lower portion 116. Upper portion 115 is sized and configured to allow gaff 114 to be mounted to leg iron 102 via any appropriate connection means, for example, screws, bolts, rivets, welding, etc. Lower portion 116, on the other hand, is bent so as to extend slightly away from leg iron 102, and lower portion 116 comprises a sharpened point 117 on a distal end thereof, along with at least one sharpened edge 118. In this way, gaff 114 is capable of effectively digging into the wood of a tree or utility pole. Ideally, the user is equipped with a spur 100 on each leg, with each gaff 114 positioned toward the inside of each of the user's legs. With the spur 100 strapped to each leg, the user can utilize the respective gaffs 114 to more easily and safely ascend and descend a tree or utility pole.
For the spurs to operate adequately, the gaffs themselves must be sufficiently sharp so as to easily puncture the wood of a tree or utility pole with little more than the user's body weight applied thereto. However, gaffs sharpened to this level also risk damaging equipment during transport, or, if mishandled, potentially causing injury to a user or others. Accordingly, to prevent injury, prevent equipment damage, and/or preserve the sharpness of the gaffs, workers often install a protective device or sleeve over each gaff when the spurs are not in use. Existing protective devices have included rubber sleeves, spring- or cord-tensioned shields, flexible leather coverings, etc. However, these existing protective devices often lack durability for frequent use, are difficult to install and/or remove from the gaff, and/or must be fixedly mounted to a portion of the spur, even when not in use. Any added complication in installing or removing the protective device increases the user's risk of injury, or, at the very least, dissuades the user from employing the protective device. Additionally, many previous protective devices have involved complicated designs that are both expensive to produce and difficult to maintain. Furthermore, existing protective devices have been prone to disconnect from the gaffs during transport, which increases the likelihood of injury or equipment damage, as the user is under the assumption that the protective devices is correctly installed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,951 discloses one such protective device for a gaff, wherein the protective device is monolithically formed of a synthetic resinous material. The protective device shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,951 comprises a frusto-conically shaped sheath configured to fit over a substantial portion of a gaff, along with a clip portion coupled to the frusto-conically shaped sheath via a flexible stem portion. After the sheath is placed around the gaff, the clip is configured to mount to a leg iron portion of the spur, with the flexible stem portion providing a stressed frictional engagement between the protective device and the leg iron, thereby helping to maintain the protective device in position on the gaff.
While the protective device shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,951 is monolithically formed and is removable by the user, such removal may be difficult due to the limited size of the clip portion and stressed frictional engagement provided by the flexible stem portion. That is, the user must use his or her fingers to detach clip portion from the leg iron. As the user is often working with gloved hands, the need for such dexterity in removing the protective device is, at the very least, inconvenient.
Furthermore, the frusto-conically shaped sheath, fixed-length flexible stem portion, and fixed-width clip portion limit the size and shape of gaff and leg iron that can be covered by the protective device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,951. Gaff lengths and other gaff dimensions may vary dependent upon application and user preference. For instance, an arborist may require a longer gaff than a utility worker, as trees are generally less uniform than utility poles. Specifically, gaffs for use in climbing trees are often at least 2¾ inches in length, while those used on utility poles are generally shorter, e.g., 1½ inches in length. Thus, a protective device such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,951 may provide sufficient coverage for a gaff used by utility workers, but may be too small to provide protection for gaffs commonly used by arborists. Additionally, the clip portion may be sized for one particular width of leg iron, but may not be compatible with other leg irons.